The Presidency has announced the departure of President Mahama to the UK.

In a formal statement shared by the Spokesperson to the President, Minister, and Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, on Sunday, January 11, 2026.

He revealed that the president is en route to the UK, where he will hold “meetings with the coordinators of Accra Reset Initiative.

The Accra Reset Initiative is a global development and governance reform framework launched by Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama in 2025, aimed at reimagining international financing, partnerships, and governance systems to better respond to modern challenges such as debt crises, climate shocks, and post-pandemic recovery.

Also, “the President will continue to Davos in Switzerland to participate in a session of the World Economic Forum. President Mahama is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with some world leaders on the sidelines of the Davos Forum”.

What is World Economic Forum?

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organisation established on January 24, 1971, in Switzerland. In the first month of every year, an annual meeting is held in Davos, which brings together global leaders from business, politics, academia, and civil society to discuss major economic and social issues.

Its stated goal is “improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas,” with its headquarters located in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland.

Meanwhile, many are anticipating President Mahama's speech at the meeting, given his outstanding delivery at last year's 80th United Nations General Assembly at the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, USA.

He challenged the UN to make reforms and review its policies to suit the evolving world, calling its representation outdated. It was unfair for veto power to be a reserve of just five countries, he stressed in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, USA.

Also, President Mahama made calls for a permanent representation of Africa on the United Nations General Assembly, granting the continent the right to veto power.

He explained that the long-standing tradition in which veto power is reserved for just five nations is outdated.

The current arrangement, rooted in the post-World War II order, the President stressed, concentrates power in the hands of a few countries.

He said, "Veto power should not be restricted to five nations, nor should it be absolute. There must be a mechanism for the General Assembly to challenge a veto. No single nation should be able to exercise an absolute veto to serve its own interests in a conflict."

Currently, five countries hold permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which automatically grants them veto power. This allows any one of them to block substantive resolutions, even if all other members agree. Named the P5, they include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China.

These countries were granted permanent status and veto rights in 1945, at the end of World War II, as part of the founding structure of the UN. Eight decades later, nothing has changed despite the shifting global order, President Mahama highlighted.

He referred to Africa’s growing and youthful population, citing demographic projections that by 2050, Africa will be home to over a quarter of the world’s population and a third of its youth, hence, “the future is African.”

He emphasised that it is time for the UN to grant Africa permanent representation on its council. He believes that just as Ghana is making adjustments, the UN must “reset” itself in light of the dramatic changes since 1945; however, the UN's structures have not kept pace.

“A continent as large as Africa, with its numerous UN member states, would have at least one permanent seat on the Security Council. Madame President, I believe that in honour of this milestone celebration, the United Nations should also embark on a process of serious recalibration and establish its own reset agenda. Since the organisation's founding, the number of UN member nations has nearly quadrupled, and quite frankly, it is not the same world that it was back then when the UN was formed,” he stressed.

He reiterated that if equality were truly upheld, Africa, with its 54 member states, would have at least one permanent seat on the Security Council.

“The most powerful post-World War II nations are still being rewarded with an almost totalitarian guardianship over the rest of the world. And yet, the first sentence in Chapter 2, Article 1 of the UN Charter declares that ‘The Organisation is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its members,’” he said.